Armored Core: Ouroboros
by JaphetSkie
Summary: A lone pilot, just finished in his one-man campaign against the entirety of mankind, gets sent to another world that requires salvation. Hopefully, he wouldn't have to commit genocide the second time.
1. New World

**Hey guys, JaphetSkie here! You guys are thinking if I'd keep the plot, but nope! I've realized that it's a bit too retarded and decided to completely overhaul the story! But even then, the "LYNX have psychic powers" bullshit will remain, along with a few other bullshitteries that I've put in the previous iteration of this story Enjoy!**

_**As always, I don't own Muv-Luv and Armored Core.**_

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_**Chapter 1: New World**_

* * *

"_Another 100 million dead…"_ A young pilot gloomily thought as a massive airship went crashing down to the surface of the South Atlantic Ocean, its engines shot down by of Kojima Particle beams followed by a barrage of Scatter Missiles and Laser Blade Waves.

"_That makes 25 Cradles. More than two billion lives extinguished by my hand within mere days…."_

1 week. It only took a single week for him to commit mass murder of unimaginable scale and destroy the might of the current world order. The National Dismantlement War claimed 4 billion lives in a single month, while he recently killed off about half of the amount in a much shorter time-span.

"_There was 8 billion before the corporations took over, then 4 when Pax Economica was established, and now…" _he made some subtractions in his head. _"A little more than a billion souls remain on this planet. Not too many to exhaust the remaining resources of this planet, but not few enough for mankind to die out."_

_**Did he ever regret what he did? **_

Yes, but it was a necessary evil that must be done. 4 billion people are too much for a dying planet to handle, and these people are needed to be taught a lesson they would never forget. He killed two birds with one stone by doing so.

_**Were all the sacrifices worth it? **_

He had nothing left to lose, so probably yes.

_**Was it worth betraying his friends, allies, and his mentor?**_

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… Even if he did tell them of his intentions, they wouldn't understand. They'll only see him as a monster that lost his humanity, not as a man that wanted to change the world.

He took off his helmet, revealing his ruby-red eyes that were lined with deep bags beneath them. His silver hair was messy, not having washed for days, and his already pale complexion just got paler, making him look like a corpse if anything.

His name is Leopold Hector Burzleich, codename "Strayed". Collared Rank 1 and ORCA Rank 13. Former Aspina test subject turned Independent LYNX. One of the 20 individuals involved in the Human-PLUS Program and one of the only two survivors. And lastly, pilot of an experimental NEXT frame that was generations ahead of its time.

And he used said experimental NEXT frame as a tool to enact death and destruction all around the world.

He was quite an idealistic fool when he began his career, hoping to make the world a better place as a LYNX under the League's banner. But when he realized that the League was very much rotten to the core, he quickly accepted Maximilian Thermidor's offer to join ORCA.

Only for him to find out from Old King that ORCA was created with the League's backing, so that they could destroy the Assault Cells without getting their hands dirty and then eliminate the members afterwards.

Old King, who was once a terrorist leader himself, wanted to take the matters to his own hands and destroy the Cradles to hurt the League very badly. Leo joined the crazy bastard in his plans, partly because he did it out of friendship, and partly because it would help him carry out his own plans more smoothly.

He slaughtered entire armies and killed billions in cold blood, he crushed the mighty Arms Forts and ground them to dust, and every LYNX sent after him had fallen before him in battle. He never stopped until he became Death itself, destroying the world and creating a new one from its ashes. And hopefully from his actions, mankind will learn not to make the same mistakes they once did.

Leo had his NEXT settle down atop one of the sinking Cradles, with his machine facing south as it landed. His main objectives are now complete. The Cradles that once cruised the skies unmolested now lay destroyed on the surface, and anything that could threaten him are either vanquished or no longer capable of fighting.

With all said and done, there's only one thing left for him to do.

The city-sized airship his NEXT is standing on will fully sink to the ocean in a few minutes, enough time for him to remotely execute commands so that the cannons would begin to finally destroy the cage that stopped mankind from accessing the final frontier.

The pilot then proceeded to take out the laptop from the cockpit's storage compartment and opened the program that will access the backdoors he placed in the computer systems of the Arteria facilities and the Anti-Satellite Cannons.

His adrenaline wearing off, he tried to fight off the growing fatigue he's currently experiencing, both mentally and physically, and began to type in the commands.

**[/execute_all: selfdestructif_EA-SatCnn_targetqueue_0%]**

**[/execute_ArtrCarpals: powergenerationpercent_300]**

**[/execute_ArtrUlna: powergenerationpercent_300]**

**[/execute_ArtrCranium: transmitpowerto_EA-SatCnn]**

**[/execute_EA-SatCnn: settargetparameters_allLEorbitobj]**

This is it, there's no turning back once he does this.

All of the pain he endured, all of the sacrifices he'd done, all of the regrets he had, all of the betrayals he suffered, it all culminated to this moment.

"_And to think that I was just a relative nobody before all of this shit happened…"_ He thought to himself.

His head hurts, and his vision was blurry. The Human-PLUS enhancements he received only got him so far, and he's now feeling the consequences of being deprived of sleep, food and water for an entire week. But even then, he managed to input the last command needed to fire the cannons.

**[/execute_EA-SatCnn:attack_settargets]**

His strength eventually gave out and he slumped on his seat, and the last thing he saw are the lances of light piercing through the heavens.

* * *

_Some called it the worst act of evil ever conducted in history, while others considered it righteous retribution, what was supposed to be ORCA's rebellion escalated into a war against the two NEXT pilots that held billions of lives on the line._

_But even though they gave everything they've got, they only managed to kill one of the two. Their best fighters, winded from the previous fight, were slaughtered like sheep by the surviving pilot._

_And without anyone to stop him, this man laid waste to the world, single-handedly destroying entire armies and civilizations within mere days._

_This event was forever remembered as "The Great Destruction". Out of 4 billion people all around the world, only a quarter survived from the lone pilot's onslaught._

_The survivors from his onslaught, humbled and afraid of such nightmarish event happening again, would tell their children the tale of the man that once destroyed most of mankind as punishment for their greed, telling the youngsters not to let arrogance and hubris overtake them. The story changed as generations passed, but the message was still clear._

_Two centuries later, an organization dedicated to recovering lost technology have found the remains of the machine that was used to destroy the world, deep under the ocean. _

_Seeking to use the technology to change the world, they created a successor model of the machine, albeit a less powerful one. _

_The machine was designed to send a signal to the mysterious Towers once it was destroyed._

_A signal to the countless machines within the Towers to emerge and destroy all humans._

_The inferior model was destroyed by a mercenary in a battle in the deserts of the continent that was once called Africa, now known as the New Frontier. __And it was with the destruction of this machine that triggered another war. _

_But unlike many other wars before it, it was one that united the entirety of humankind to fight off the threat that looms over them._

_And with everything said, the story of the man who destroyed the world, and the impact of his actions for years to come, ended here._

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… _**Or did it?**_

* * *

His nose picked up a scent of bleach the moment he regained his consciousness. Upon opening his eyes, he saw an unfamiliar ceiling instead of the sight of his NEXT's cockpit.

Leo blinked. He's no longer in his NEXT. _"Wait…"_

_He's no longer in his NEXT._

"Shit!" he quickly rose in alarm, only to find that his hands are cuffed by the railings. He narrowed his eyes, he's more likely captured by enemy forces while he was unconscious.

Realizing however that it's just normal bindings, he snorted in amusement. "Idiots… They damn know well that ordinary bindings won't work on us…" he muttered to himself.

Back at 2027, there was a spike of paranormal activity and reports of children exhibiting unnatural powers all around the world. Upon thorough investigation, it was revealed that a sizable percentage of children that were born during 2020 to 2021 had displayed anomalous brain functions not usually present towards ordinary humans.

No one knew the origin of the anomalies despite many joint international investigations and researches conducted, but it was established that the Generation of Psionics, also known as Psi-Gen, started at that year.

Despite being merely tens of thousands in number, their powers are coveted by many and are very prized in jobs like law enforcement, intelligence-gathering, construction works, and many others. What's more, the Allegorical Manipulation System, the NEXT's piloting system, relied entirely on a trait that is only found on psychics.

There was even a pending request signed by 200 scientists to officially label them as an entirely new human species, but that is an entirely different can of worms that needed no more elaboration for now.

Back to the situation at hand, Leo merely focused and telekinetically broke the bindings with relative ease. Getting the IV drip and other wires off of his skin, he got up and made his way to the door. He was about to open it when someone suddenly opened the door, revealing a doctor coming in.

As if by instinct, he lunged to the unsuspecting man and silently tackled him before proceeding to read his mind.

B̴̙̻̃ẹ̷̙̌̕Ț̸̻́ḁ̷̆͝M̶̲͛ő̶̼O̴̲̗͗̓n̵͈̙͂Ẃ̷̪͠ả̸͎̝͠R̴̰̚k̸͕̻̿̓A̶̠͋̿s̷͔͑H̸̼͕̒g̴̘̀A̷̟͠ř̸̦̹͝A̵̝̅l̴̢͠T̴̜͗͝e̶̡̎R̸̢̫͒ṇ̸̄͝A̷̜͐̾ṭ̵̀I̴̦͐̿v̷̦̳͗Ȇ̸̲͠ṗ̴̛̹̖L̷̩͙͝a̷̤̔N̴̳͌͒s̸͚̺͑͒E̵͙̥͌̀s̸͔̈̀P̷̺͖̾͛e̵̞͆R̷̬̒s̴͍͈̄S̷̥̒̍ô̵̡͝V̴͕̏ị̴̎E̶̯̐̓ͅṱ̸̘̓̊Ȕ̶͜n̸̢̄I̵̼̙͌̂o̸̟͉̒̋N̷͓̱̔t̴̠̫͋̏Ḁ̶͗̊c̶͖̿T̷͎̈́í̶͉C̶̲̑à̸̡̨̑Ḽ̸̖̍̂s̵̢̮̄U̷̗͓̓r̸͍̀͜F̶̙̀ȃ̴̧͎C̷̦̜̅ĕ̴̦̿F̷̠͍̕ī̶̯̕G̶͎̈́h̶̞͗T̵̫̅́e̷̺̓̃R̶̲̈́̈́ṣ̵͑͗Å̶͇͘l̶̥̳̽A̸͉̟̽͝s̷̙̉͝K̶̭̙̉͝ã̸̹͋L̵̉͜e̶̜̠̽A̴̙̦͛͑s̸̲̯̑̔Ẹ̷̺̓͋d̷́͑͜F̸̖̹̿r̴̺̆̎O̶̥̿m̴͈͈̀Ǎ̷͓͝m̶̡̓Ḙ̵͗ŕ̴̘I̸̧̖̓͘c̶̞̽Ȁ̸̟a̶̱͒̈S̸̘̺͛̕t̷̰͗R̸̤̩͌̋a̴̭͠Ñ̴̙g̶͎̈́͜Ẽ̶̠̠t̸͍̯͠S̶͎͉͊͛f̷͔͐F̴̳͗o̶̬̯̿Ṳ̴͋̾ņ̴͙̀̽D̶̥̿̈́ẅ̸̠̺́͛Ỉ̴̖̦̈́t̷̳̘̊H̴̢̺͛̅ṱ̶̘̇͠H̶͚̘͊e̶̗͠P̴͍͖̔͂i̴͓̚L̶͚̔̓o̸̭̔̌T̵̜̉̈́͜u̶̡̐̈́͜Ñ̴̥ͅc̶͈̈O̵̹̾̽n̵̙̗̍̿S̴̬͚̈́c̸͚̍̕I̶̥͛͌o̶͎͗U̷̢̐ś̷̼̘̎Ȍ̴̝̉c̵͎̈T̸͖̫͝o̷͖̽B̸̮̑̊ë̵̫̯́R̷̪̀ẗ̵͚̫́̅W̷̡̬̊õ̷̦T̵͚͂̀h̸͈̎̒O̵͍̣̿̂u̶̘̼͒̓Ś̸̼̗a̷͔̿̌Ň̶̖̌d̷̳͎̍-̴̯̓̂

Leo reeled back in shock. "What the hell…?" Knocking out the man with a swift strike to the neck, he gently set the man down to the floor and made a quick reassessment of the memories he found.

"_Alright, so the year's 2000, and I'm here in a Soviet military base in Alaska. Mankind is under threat of annihilation in the hands of an extraterrestrial race called BETA and had been waging war with them for decades, using mechs that they called 'Tactical Surface Fighters' to as their main combat units in engaging BETA hordes."_ He rubbed his forehead as he felt a metaphorical migraine coming in.

"Good Lord, what the hell's going on with my life?"

Apparently, he suddenly appeared out of nowhere some 10 kilometers away from the base he's currently held up in. The attempt to extract him ended with a disaster, with casualties reaching up to more than a dozen as they tried to get past the Primal Armor that remained active this whole time.

And PA is made out of highly corrosive and lethal Kojima Particles. It is more dangerous than nuclear radiation that not even Tardigrades could survive exposure from K-Particles.

It was a miracle that a small team of four somehow managed to get past the Primal Armor and extract him off the cockpit, but they succumbed to K-Particle poisoning shortly after they got him to the base. Oh, and he'd been out for about two days. Quite understandable, since he hadn't slept for a week.

Nevertheless, whatever happened to them is not his problem. Getting out of here takes priority first.

"_Okay… Find my pilot suit, reclaim anything they grabbed from the cockpit, wipe out everyone's memories and any evidence about me, get back to my NEXT, get out of Alaska, then lay low somewhere. Am I missing something?"_

Now having a concrete plan, he went on to set his escape in motion.

* * *

Just outside the door, a couple guards were bored out of their minds.

"Hey, have you ever wondered why we're here?" one of them asked all of a sudden.

"What do you mean? We're assigned to guard the pilot of that weird TSF that showed up."

"No, no! I mean, have you ever questioned why do we even exist in the first place?"

"Why would you even bother with that kind of bullshit? Leave that to the philosophers, Dmitri! Why can't you have a useful hobby?"

The now-named Dmitri shrugged, "Meh, thinking about things is my hobby."

Mikhail rolled his eyes. "Of course you'd say tha-"

_**BLAM!**_

"What the-"

"**Sleep."**

And then oblivion claimed them.

* * *

Ignoring the two unconscious bodies before him, Leo observed the hallway if there's cameras or any more personnel present in the vicinity. Seeing that there's not a soul around to see him, he proceeded to take a slow jog to the empty hallway.

Memory modification would be a tedious and time-consuming process, and the Soviets may have already informed their higher echelons of the situation, since he was asleep for a couple days now.

Which leaves him no choice but to absolutely wipe out any mention of him or of his NEXT. It's very suspicious, but he had no choice.

He focused and unleashed a subtle wave of psychic energy, the wave bouncing back to him akin to sonar. With it, he could make a mental map of the whole compound and the specific locations of the personnel within the building.

The building alone had about 49 personnel, and there's 15 more buildings for him to clear. He had to hurry.

* * *

_**20 minutes later…**_

* * *

"_There. 1,537 Soviet personnel knocked out and memory wiped within 20 minutes."_ Leo concluded as he did a memory wipe to the last group of soldiers that were sleeping on the barracks.

He already took his suit from the armory and burned the reports he found from the commander's office, so the only thing left for him to do is to get on to his NEXT and get out of Soviet territory as stealthily as he could.

But since his NEXT is some kilometers away from the base, he'd have to steal a ride. He's lucky to be in a military base, so there's a lot to choose from.

His gaze wandered to a GAZ Tigr Infantry Mobility Vehicle parked by the building.

He grinned. Yes, that will do.

* * *

_**One Slavic joyride later…**_

* * *

"Well, thanks for the ride, Russkies." He whispered to no one in particular as the he stopped the car a mile away from his NEXT. The scenery before him wasn't quite pretty.

What used to be a forest became an inhospitable mini-wasteland, the once-fertile soil became barren and incapable of sustaining plant life as acidification took place. The trees weren't spared too, as they were reduced to nothing but dust, easily blown away by the wind.

But in the center of all the subtle destruction is a 15-meter tall machine, its sleek design marred with varying battle damages all over its frame. In its right hand held a Kojima Particle Rifle, while the left had a Handheld Laser Blade. An emblem was etched on its left shoulder: a horned serpent eating its own tail.

He named it Black Scourge, and it sure as hell lived up to its name.

A short walk later, and he's now at the Black Scourge's general location and boarded the machine. He made sure to deactivate the NEXT's Primal Armor to stop the spread of Kojima Particles, then activate the onboard Stealth Systems in order to evade radar detection.

Deciding to go to cross Canada's borders and hide in the country that's well-known for its maple trees, his NEXT is now cruising the skies at the speeds of 2,300 KPH at 15,000 feet, safely hidden by the darkness of the night.

That's one problem solved, and many more to go.

* * *

**AAAAANNDD CUT! That's 2.6 K words. Anyway, here's Leo's Bio:**

* * *

_**Name: **_Leopold Hector Burzleich

_**Age:**_ 24

_**Occupations:**_ Test Subject and Lab Assistant (Aspina), LYNX (currently)

_**Affiliations:**_ Independent (Formerly Aspina and ORCA)

_**Special Traits:**_ Has Human-PLUS enhancements and psychic abilities

_**Alignment:**_ Chaotic Good

_**Likes:**_ Vodka, Sea Thrifts, reading

_**Dislikes:**_ anyone that are morally-corrupt

* * *

_**NEXT: **_Black Scourge

*looks like N-WGIX/v, but the upper torso is that of White Glint, the folding/sliding boosters included.

_**Armaments: **_

Kojima Particle Rifle (R Arm, looks like the ARC-920 from Halo)

Handheld Laser Blade (L Arm, looks like the katana-style laser blade concept for N-WGIX/v)

Scatter Missiles (Internal Shoulder, fired on Black Scourge's internal launchers on its shoulders)

2 Compact Machine Guns (Hangar Weapons, 200 rounds per mag, looks like the Magpul PDR)

_**Special Functions:**_

Space capability

"Asimov" Experimental AMS Model (experimental AMS that lets the pilot have unrestricted control in ALL of the NEXT's systems)

* * *

**Also, about the coding shit, if you wouldn't mind:**

**/execute_all: selfdestructif_EA-SatCnn_targetqueue_0%** : set the Arteria facilities and the Anti-Satellite cannons to self-destruct once all targets are destroyed.

**/execute_ArtrCarpals: powergenerationpercent_300 **: set Arteria Carpals' power generation to 300%

**/execute_ArtrUlna: powergenerationpercent_300** : same as earlier, but in Arteria Ulna.

**/execute_ArtrCranium: transmitpowerto_EA-SatCnn **: Have the Arteria Cranium reroute power transmission to the Anti-Sat cannons.

**/execute_EA-SatCnn: settargetparameters_allLEorbitobj **: have the Anti-Sat cannons target all objects in Low Earth Orbit.

**/execute_EA-SatCnn:attack_settargets** : have the Anti-Sat cannons fire on set targets.

* * *

**That'll be all, folks! JaphetSkie, signing out.**


	2. Ambushed

**Hey guys, I'm back! So there's this one guy that thinks that Leo is a Gary Stu character, but I digress. Here's a few clarifications:**

**His Human-PLUS augmentations made him more attuned to his NEXT and gave him Olympic-Level physical attributes, and not to a superhuman level. His physical strength may not compare to Silvio Orlandi's (a cyborg in Muv-Luv who can go brawl against another cyborg that's wearing a POWER ARMOR), but he can run as fast as Usain Bolt, maybe even faster. The only thing that's inhuman about him is his endurance, pain tolerance and reaction time.**

**His Psionic/Psychic abilities can match the likes of Galen Marek and Sarah Kerrigan, but materials like Hyper Ceramic (which is a material present in Muv-Luv) can still block his telepathy.**

**Unlike the previous iteration of this story, he is all alone. No League, no ORCA, no fellow LYNX to back him up, and no army to assist him. Just him and his NEXT. **

**And most of all, his NEXT's Primal Armor means shit to the Laser-Class BETA, and even more so against the Heavy Laser-Class. Sure, his NEXT's armor can take some hits, but then we're talking about Laser-Class BETA, who are known for their extremely large range and accuracy. He had to be VERY careful in combatting BETA hordes accompanied by laser strains, lest he risks getting himself shot down. His weapons are also another issue, as his main weapons are designed against bigger enemies, and his twin compact MGs had little ammo to fend off a shit-ton of Tank-Class BETA. **

**Alright, I'm done with my rant. Anyway, enjoy!**

_**I don't own Muv-Luv and Armored Core.**_

* * *

_**Chapter 2: Ambushed**_

* * *

Unbeknownst to the silver-haired LYNX, there's already authorities currently monitoring him as his NEXT was heading towards Canada.

The CIA had been monitoring all Soviet movements and facilities for years, and they somehow stumbled upon Leo's appearance.

They at first assumed that it's an experimental TSF made by the Soviet Union, but the theory was supplanted when the "TSF" remained in its position for 2 days, constantly emitting a green radiation-like field that slowly destroyed the forest it was in; the fact that he left to Canada had simply further proven that he's an anomaly that just appeared out of nowhere.

And now that Leo's out of USSR-held territory, the CIA decided to keep him under surveillance and find a window of opportunity so they can apprehend him and his machine for study.

One month later, with the cooperation of the army itself, they finally decided that it's the right time to capture him.

But why is the US military involved?

Well Leo is, according to their observations, a very powerful Esper that had a strange yet seemingly advanced "TSF". Since it doesn't look like he's affiliated to the Soviets or to anyone else, they must capture him and whatever advanced technology he possesses so that they can reverse-engineer and use said technology to America's advantage.

Looking at what he did to the Soviet base however, sending in ordinary agents to capture him simply wouldn't do, so they required the bigger guns if they want the operation to succeed.

If capture has proven to be impossible however, the target's destruction takes high priority, as they cannot risk letting their target loose. They'll just scavenge what's left of him once they're done.

They were so confident that their plan is fool-proof and is guaranteed to succeed, but little did they know that conventional military forces are nothing in the face of a NEXT and its pilot.

* * *

_**Somewhere in Quebec City…**_

* * *

"_Something's not right here."_ Leo narrowed his eyes in suspicion. The alleyway he would often pass through on his way to his apartment is unusually quiet. _"Even the hobo that was usually here is a no-show as well." _

He arrived in Quebec one month ago, hiding Black Scourge in an abandoned warehouse found at the edge of the city. Assured that no one would find his NEXT there, he then spent an entire day stealing money from unsuspecting bystanders all over the city before renting an apartment unit closest to the warehouse.

A week later, the silver-haired pilot then went to a man known in the criminal underground for his superb forging skills and commissioned him to create fake records for him.

And according to his forged records, Leopold Hector Burzleich was a German citizen whose family fled from Germany when it fell in 1983, settling down in USA before they were killed in a car accident that left him as the last one of his family.

It is a perfect cover, in his honest opinion. No one would bother to look deeper at his past since Germany is overrun by the BETA, which makes any attempt of investigating his childhood next to impossible.

For the entirety of the whole month, he did nothing but to take side jobs during the day and do vigilante work during the night. Just this evening, he took out a drug laboratory that's producing cocaine for the dealers in the city.

A shame that despite the threat of the BETA looming over mankind, there are still people willing to do crime for the sake of money.

He could've helped the UN and the other nations in their war against the BETA, but he held against it for a few reasons:

First, the nations of this world refuses to work in full solidarity with each other.

Japan had a lot of ultranationalists that influenced their government's actions, Europe is barely keeping itself from being fully overrun by the BETA, the USSR had some internal issues to deal with, the Chinese are too prideful to receive international assistance, and the politics of USA are too driven by self-interest that they are willing to betray their allies if it means that they survive.

In the pilot's honest opinion, if they all worked together unconditionally since day one of the war, mankind could've beaten the BETA back when they're still on the moon.

Secondly, the BETA threat itself. Their numbers are mind-bogglingly massive, some of their strains had very tough armor, and their expertise in biotechnology are far more advanced than what mankind currently have. And what's worse, their laser-eyed buggers are so goddamn overpowered that any attempts of aerial support are basically death warrants in the making!

It was a miracle that humanity wasn't killed off in the first decade since the aliens landed in Earth. In fact, the BETA didn't even seem interested in annihilating them, as the aliens are more focused on harvesting resources than actively invading to kill them off.

Back to the matter at hand, he decided to use his psionic powers to detect any human presences in the vicinity. There's 2 people nearby the alleyway entrance, another 2 ahead of him, and 6 in the rooftops above.

He tensed in anticipation. He's now pretty damn sure that someone's after him, but who could it possibly be? It couldn't be one of the gangs he'd been hitting, as he was very careful not to leave any witness alive. He never pissed off someone of great influence either, as he barely socialized with anyone.

This could only mean…

"_It's probably the government. CIA agents sent by America, most likely."_ He clicked his tongue in annoyance. _"They must've been monitoring Soviet facilities and noticed my arrival. Damn it, how could I not realize that!"_

Nevertheless, they're here now, and he had two choices to take: either he would surrender to them, or he'd try to get away from them.

Cooperating would leave little to no bloodshed, but it'd mean the US government getting their greedy hands on his NEXT and the terabytes' worth of research, schematics, and many other data that he stole throughout his whole career that are stored within the NEXT's computer.

He remembered from the information he gained from the soviets about the Alternative Plans. The majority of the US Government are favoring Alternative V, which basically having the chosen 500,000 individuals leave their homeworld for a habitable exoplanet, while the rest gets caught in a massive G-Bombing operation of a global scale that may render the Earth permanently uninhabitable.

And the Pro-Alt V faction might use his technology to accelerate the plan, which is something he won't allow to happen. Alternative V is eerily similar to what he'd done before, killing many just to save the rest of mankind.

Trying to run or fight would do him no good in the long run either, but they might leave him alone if enough casualties and military expenditures have piled up from the resulting battle.

Weighing the pros and cons of the two paths he could take, he finally made us his mind and sighed in resignation; he might as well go with the second option. It's the bloodier path to take, but it might be for the best.

**Play: Armored Core Nexus OST – Red Butterfly**

After all, he indiscriminately butchered _billions_ of people back home, so what's a hundred more?

He started to walk, picking up the pace as he slowly sped up until it turned into a full-blown sprint. Channeling massive amounts of electrons to his fingertips, he aimed at the first two agents ahead of him and _fired_.

The two agents weren't able to react in time as bolts of lightning struck them in light speeds, disrupting their hearts' rhythm and causing immediate cardiac arrest not long before they dropped dead to the ground.

He didn't stop running as he noticed that the presences behind him began to take pursuit. Taking a second to look behind him, he noticed that some of his pursuers are wearing military-grade tactical gear and are armed with tranquilizer rifles as primary weapons and high-caliber pistols as secondaries.

"_Oh great, the military's involved as well," _Leo internally ranted as he snapped their necks and pulled their pistols via telekinesis, before he opened fire to the ones attempting to ambush him from the roof, keeping them from lining a tranq shot towards him.

"_But I'm not letting you stop me!"_

With the current threats out of his way, he activated his augmentations and ran with his outmost limits, trying to reach the warehouse before anyone else does.

* * *

_**At the warehouse, 3 minutes later…**_

* * *

They were already waiting for him there. A couple dozen soldiers and 4 men in Feedback Protectors have set up a perimeter around the building, while another team will secure the machine that will be airlifted by a heavy lift helicopter.

But if they're thinking that soldiers and men in powered armor would be enough to stop a man harnessing the power of the mind, then they are wrong.

Dead wrong.

"_Target Alpha sighted, engaging to captu- Gurk!"_ a soldier dropped dead as his brain was hijacked and forcibly shut down via telepathy, with many other of his comrades nearby receiving the same fate.

More and more bodies dropped dead as Leo entered the compound, who is slightly wincing at the growing migraine he gained from telepathically killing a large number of individuals within a short time frame.

The pistols he'd taken earlier have run out of ammo back when another group came in from a van and tried to take him down. And if the heavy lift helicopter hovering by the warehouse is any indication, he is running out of time to spare and must get rid of the guards the fastest way he could, or else they succeed in taking his NEXT away.

Hence, the telepathic killing method.

He sensed that there's more inside the warehouse, with about four men lined up by the large door. "Waitin' for me, eh? Doesn't matter how much lead you pump out…"

4 troopers in power armor opened fire at him with machine guns and rockets as he entered the warehouse, only for the bullets and rockets to stop in mid-air in front of him.

"… Because' you're all dead!" he threw back all ordinance fired at him back to the shooters, blowing them into chunks of gore and viscera.

The remaining men in the warehouse were absolutely terrified beyond compare. They were told that he is an Esper, but fucking hell, this is beyond unbelievable! He can't be human!

"Fuck this shit, I'm outta here!" one of them turned tail and ran out, who was then followed by his remaining allies that are just as mortified.

"Yeah, get the hell out of here…" Leo muttered to himself as he boarded his NEXT, ignoring the soldiers that escaped.

* * *

_**Meanwhile, with the Americans…**_

* * *

"Sir, we just got a report from the other teams."

"And?"

"Heavy casualties on their side. Apparently, Target Alpha is too powerful even outside the TSF."

"How did he manage to beat them? There's special operatives in those teams, for Christ's sakes!"

"Well sir, they reported that Target Alpha exhibited telekinetic abilities. Should we go for plan B?"

"What's the target's status?"

"He's on the move using Target Bravo, going west at Mach 2, altitude is at 300 meters and still climbing."

"Tch… our TSFs will never be able to reach the target with that speed, so plan B's a bust. Switch to Plan C."

"Wait, Plan C?"

"Cruise missiles with tactical G-Bomb warheads and passive radar jammers, Lieutenant. Need I say more?"

"B-but sir, the ramifications of using G-Bombs in a highly populated area are going to be-"

"I don't care, Lieutenant! It's either we capture that fucker or we destroy it! You're not the one who makes the call, I am!"

"With all due respect sir, where the hell did you get the permission to utilize a G-Bomb, anyway?"

"High Command allowed it, soldier. You have your orders, now make it happen!"

"Y-yes sir…"

* * *

_**A few minutes later…**_

* * *

"4 kilometers above the ground. This should do it." Leo muttered to himself as his NEXT climbed up to a high enough altitude and idly cruised by the clouds. "They haven't chased me with their TSFs, though. That's weird…"

Come to think of it, the TSFs of this world are the mecha equivalents of the fighter jets back home. If only his world had the same technological path, they would already have developed mech units some decades ahead before the National Dismantlement War even happened.

His peaceful moments were disrupted however when the missile lock alarm rang throughout the cockpit.

"Shit!" His mind went to overdrive. the missiles are close, too close for his liking. The radar would detect missiles for 10 kilometers around him, so how did they manage to elude the radar?

He suddenly had a realization on one thing that they could use to achieve that. "Radar Jammers…" he growled.

If that's the case, he had to rely on visual detection if he didn't want to get hit.

His mouth hung open in shock however when he saw _dozens more _all over him. If the pinkish hue and the crazy reading he'd been getting from the missiles are any indication, they are all loaded to the brim with G-Elements, effectively making them miniature G-Bombs.

"_Damnit, there's no way I can dodge all of those."_ He slumped in his seat. _"And even if I do, I'd still get caught in the explosion."_

"_So this is how it ends, eh?"_ He closed his eyes, resigning himself to his fate._ "Live and die by the barrel of a gun, indeed…"_

There was a bright flash, and then he fell to oblivion.

* * *

**AAANND CUT! Yeah, he dead. Anyway, I- I̵͉͊T̶͇̄ ̴̱̃A̸̬̾Į̷̒N̴̜̓'̷̘͋T̵͍̀ ̴̦͂Ọ̷̀V̷̱͂E̸̢͠R̷̡͑ ̴̮̈́Y̶̬̓Ë̴̺́T̶̨̊,̷͖͋ ̷̙̒M̵̗͘U̵̪̿Ṯ̷̑H̶͚̽A̷̪͗F̷̜̐U̴͙͛C̴̽͜K̴̳͊Á̷̗S̷̮̏!̸̛̫!̵̞̍!̶̙͊ ̷͙̒H̶̼̕À̴̦H̴͎͑A̵͜͝H̴̋ͅA̸̧͑H̴̫͝Ă̶̠H̶̉ͅA̵̛̱H̴͕̄Á̷̰!̷̮̈́!̵̡̌!̴̟̓ ̸͕̒Q̶͙͠Ȗ̵̻Ä̶̖́N̷̮̕T̶̠͋Ṷ̷̋Ṁ̷̟ ̷̺̇C̴͉͆A̶̫͌U̶̬̎Ṣ̶̽A̷̧͋Ḷ̷̃I̸͜͠T̷͍̔Y̷̨͠'̵̗͠Ş̸̕ ̸̱͋Á̵̭ ̷̻̈́B̷͉̍I̴͉̐T̴̗̏Ĉ̴̫H̶̱͋!̵̧͠!̶͖̈́!̵͔͌**

* * *

.

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"Urgh… What?" he opened his eyes and saw that he's still in his NEXT. "Wait a minute… Shouldn't I be…"

_Dead. He should've been dead from being hit by a dozen missiles with G-Bomb warheads._

He checked his cockpit and saw that he's wearing his suit, complete with the helmet that he failed to notice. He didn't wear a suit when he was ambushed.

And what's more, he's back in the forest where he first appeared in.

"WHAT THE HELL'S GOING ON HERE?!"

* * *

**Oops, did I forget to mention that he's a Causality Conductor as well? ****Yeah, He's gonna suffer, Re:Zero style. Fite me. **

**Anyway, I was originally thinking that his pilot suit would resemble the Chaldea Combat Uniform from Fate/Grand Order, but then I saw the pilot suit concept from the fanmade Armored Core: Limit Release project, and it reaaally resembled my envisioning of Leo (even the face, just change the eye color to red), so that'll be his appearance. **

**Anyway, that's 2.4K words. If you're complaining about him dying, then Im'ma gonna stop you right there. Muv-Luv is full of suffering, and Leo, despite all the power he had in his disposal, is not exempt to that. I'm trying to make this as realistic as I could make it, but if you got recommendations, don't be afraid to PM me or say it on the reviews.**

**That'll be all, folks! JaphetSkie, signing out.**


	3. Change of Plans

**I've hit Writer's Block for a good while, so I'm sorry if the update took a veeeeeeryyyyy looooooong time.**

* * *

_**Chapter 3: Change of Plans**_

* * *

"_Calm down, Leo... calm down…"_ he took deep breaths in an attempt to calm himself, but…

He possibly couldn't have teleported back to the same forest he first showed up in, and if it did, it is most likely just a mere coincidence.

As much as he wanted to deny it however, the clearest evidence that proved otherwise would be the big boulder just a few meters on his left. It was corroded back when he escaped the facility, but he can tell from its general shape and size that the boulder and the other one he's seeing right now are one and the same. Same goes for that one small hill in a distance on his right.

Which means…

_Time Travel_. Fucking time travelling crap that is only possible in those sci-fi movies he'd seen before.

He can at least have some form of comprehension towards his predicament of getting sent to another dimension, but going back in time as well? That's where things get too far for his liking.

"Bullshit! It's either you go to a wormhole, you abuse the law of relativity, or you reverse the arrow of time! You don't just simply time travel by getting yourself caught in a G-Element reaction like it's… it's…" he then paused.

_Or could it?_

G-Bombs, despite being a well-recognized weapon of mass destruction, was still yet to be fully understood. And as much as he wanted to deny it, the aforementioned mystery about those G-Element filled ordnances may or may not have been responsible for bringing him back to the past.

How he got here won't matter for now, what takes higher priority at this point is for him to carefully take his next move. Besides, he was never able to find out how he ended up in this world during the one month he spent before he was killed.

He then made a quick systems check and situational assessment. Noticing that the Primal Armor was somehow activated, he inputted commands to the NEXT's IRS to shut the particle shield down to prevent further environmental destruction like what happened last time.

"_Like last time… Heh…"_

The last time he tried to help change the world, billions of people died. That was the prime reason why he tried to stay out of the war when he got sent here, but it seems that the Fates already dictated beforehand that he _must_ be involved. And he knew, deep down within his hypocritical cybernetic heart, that he still wanted to help people in the only ways he could.

And thus, involved to the war he will be.

Damn the Fates, damn the world, and damn him and his twisted altruism! This better be worth it!

It's now established that the CIA had probably found out about him at this point of time, which means getting out is no longer an option. Cooperating with the Soviets is the only option left for him now. And he's quite alright with it, since one thing he learned as a LYNX is to never trust capitalists.

The only disadvantage he might have at choosing this path is that he's going to have to answer to the Soviet military, or maybe even to the Politburo. He needed to negotiate carefully if he wanted to have more leeway once he joins their ranks…

Or he could just simply use subtle psychic commands to the negotiators, so he could turn things to his favor. But that'll be his last resort, so he wouldn't use that unless things don't go well.

His radar then registered multiple vehicles coming his way, and after a few minutes, they stopped 1 and a half klicks away from his position. He switched his NEXT's vision to IR mode and saw dozens of military personnel coming out of the vehicles and are beginning to proceed in trekking towards his position.

He narrowed his eyes. Last time, nearly a hundred people died by Kojima Poisoning before they even managed to get him out of the NEXT. He better make sure nothing of that sort would happen, this time around.

With practiced haste, the pilot then broadcasted a message to all frequencies. "Callsign Strayed to nearby military personnel, please stay where you are. For health and safety reasons, the area within 50 to 100 meters of my position are deemed as a radiological hazard. I'll come over to your position instead. I repeat…"

* * *

_**With the Russians…**_

* * *

"_Callsign Strayed to nearby personnel, please stay where you are. For health and safety reasons, the area within 50 to 100 meters of my position are deemed as a radiological hazard. I'll come over to your position instead. I repeat…"_

The survey team of 40 soldiers suddenly paused when they heard their radio send out a message, possibly transmitted by the mysterious "TSF" that suddenly appeared out of nowhere.

"Sir, do you think we should…?"

"Give me the radio, I'll talk to him." The officer answered his subordinate. "Soviet survey team to Strayed, we copy. Mind explaining about the radiological hazard part?"

"_I'll fill in your superiors with the details when we get to your base, but all you need to know for now is that the affected place are saturated with corrosive high-energy particles. It'll take a long time before the contamination would be at safe levels." _

Still skeptical, the officer asked the LYNX, "How long are we talking about?"

"_At miniscule amounts, probably half a year. But at heavy concentrations, it can last up to a few decades, maybe more."_ The officer almost doubled over in shock at Leo's statement.

Almost.

"H-hold on a minute. Decades? You're just joking, right?"

"_Nope, I shit you not. Don't worry about it though, I managed to stop the emission, and the concentrations are minimal at most. It'll be gone given time."_

He cleared his throat once he regained his composure, "We're beginning to get a bit off-track here. When are you coming over to our position?"

"_I'm marching towards you right now, ETA 50 secs. I can see your vehicles, just wait for my mech to march over there. Strayed, out."_ The radio went silent afterwards. Unsure if the man on the other side of the radio chatter was trustworthy enough, he decided to play it safe.

"Comrades, prep any AT weapons we have and get ready for a firefight. I want to at least have our group a fighting chance in case shit hits the fan." He ordered before he handed over the radio to the radio operator, "And tell HQ to allow our TSF squad to advance, pronto! Make sure the target's verified to attack before they commence hostilities!"

* * *

Half a minute later, Leo arrived to the survey team's position, only to be met with more than a dozen guns pointed at him. It didn't worry him, though. Not in the slightest.

"_There's about 40 personnel, a couple BTRs, 3 IMVs, and a truck. Not much anti-tank weapons aside from a few rocket launchers and an autocannon."_ The LYNX mused as he counted the survey team's assets. _"Their big guns can only do jack shit to my NEXT."_

If tank shells could only dish out superficial damage to its armor, it'd be much less so towards infantry-held anti-armor weapons, that's for sure. And seeing their reactions, it looks like they're beginning to hesitate and think that their guns wouldn't even make a dent to his NEXT, unrepaired combat damages aside. _"However…"_

There's 4 blips on his radar, registered as unknown AC analogues. He knew these are TSFs, and thus made sure his weapons systems are online and fully operational just in case a firefight breaks out.

"_Which reminds me, I need to add an Electronic Warfare suite to this thing."_ he added.

Meanwhile, the Soviet survey team was rather intimidated by the machine that stood before them. It may be slightly smaller than a TSF – about 5/6 the size of an F-4 Phantom, to be exact – but damn, it honestly looked cooler than their own mechs!

**(Author's notes: Leo's NEXT had a design aesthetic not too dissimilar to Fourth Generation TSFs. You know, spiky and sharp around the edges with some neon glow designs.)**

The technologies aboard his NEXT ensures that his machine is years, if not decades ahead of the world's current TSF research and development. Even though it wasn't enough to save him from G-Bombs, he can still go up against an entire TSF wing and still win thanks to his weapons that held enough firepower to be able to cleave through Supercarbon with ease.

"_Wait, are those…" _the officer took notice at the various scorches, dents and scratches that lined the NEXT, courtesy of the many battles it have partaken in. But what stood out the most were the scorch marks and burnt slashes inflicted by various energy-based weapons the LYNX's enemies used against him in some occasions. Since only the BETA employed energy weapons, he quickly assumed that the hits were inflicted by Laser-Class BETA.

"_Damn, that thing must've had a tough armor to tank Laser-Class hits multiple times!"_ he surmised in partial is somehow was heard by Leo, who is currently reading their surface thoughts to assess the level of hostility the team are currently having. Needless to say, he slightly took offense to that.

"_Can tank Laser-Class hits, you say?"_ he scoffed. _"I took an Arms Fort-grade HI-Laser barrage in the face, while fighting in the middle of a Kojima Particle-contaminated zone. I don't think there's anything that could get worse than that."_

Turning on the external loudspeakers, his voice boomed loud and clear. _**"Point your gun barrels down, there's no need for hostilities."**_ He started, _**"If I were up to no good, I wouldn't have bothered contacting you a couple minutes ago and just bombarded you with missiles instead." **_Thinking that the pilot may actually have a point there, the team began to stand down and lower their weapons, albeit with fingers still on the trigger.

Leo visibly let out a sigh of relief, _**"Well, now that I'm here, shall we proceed to your base?"**_

"Uh… Yes, let's!" the officer motioned for his troops to embark back to their vehicles and return to base. "Don't mind the TSFs coming our direction! Speaking of which…" he went to the radio operator and ordered him to contact HQ and have the TSF squad escort the LYNX to the base.

The convoy then began to move, the military vehicles taking the lead and Leo's Black Scourge in tow, the 15-meter tall machine skirting over the ground with the help of the NEXT's primary ion thrusters. Not a minute has passed, and a squadron of four MiG-29 Lastochka TSFs joined in the convoy and flanked his sides, hovering above the ground with the help of hybridized jet/rocket engine boosters positioned at the machines' waists.

The LYNX analyzed the bigger mechs escorting him. All of them are armed with what looked like automatic weapons with underbarrel grenade launcher attachments. More known to this world as Assault Cannons, they can fire up to two thousand 36mm caseless chaingun rounds for whittling down crowds of smaller BETA units, and can also fire about six 120mm smoothbore cannon shells for anti-armor roles.

The Soviet TSFs in particular are using their own redesigned version of the American WS-16 Assault Cannon, known as the A-97. Aside from that, the MiG-29s had built-in Blade Motors (chainsaws) and Blade Vanes (sharp points in the TSF frame) that has proven themselves rather effective in melee combat **(unlike those pansy-ass toothpicks that are the Close Combat Daggers and Melee Halberds, imho)**.

A newly-inducted military cadet will certainly be impressed with these kinds of machines, but they're nothing compared to the majestic creations Leo had witnessed throughout his life as a Collared LYNX. _"They should go see the Spirit of Motherwill someday, or maybe even Big Box. They're quite an engineering marvel, I'll say."_ He added to himself.

Yes, this world had made leaps in mech development since the advent of the BETA War, but nearly all advancements his Earth had made were even better. For example, Global Armaments is utilizing 47mm rounds for their AC-Grade machine guns, 57mm for rifles, 105mm for sniper rifles, and grenade shells and bazooka rounds being at 152mm or larger. NEXT-grade weapons use _even bigger_ rounds with armor-piercing capabilities, usually made out of depleted uranium or tungsten depending on the manufacturer.

Another example would be energy-based weapons and defense systems. Energy shields were standard in one of Bernard & Felix Foundation's quadruped defense AC model, capable of shrugging off even NEXT-grade attacks like it's nothing. Omer's Type-ARGINE Flight ACs use laser weaponry, and so are Line Ark's primary anti-aircraft emplacements defending Megalis.

Then there's also Kojima Particle-based technology, a very versatile and powerful asset that was abused by those who sought dominion over the world, although the planet paid the price for it. From a world filled with life, the excessive amounts of Kojima Particles released to the atmosphere slowly but surely turned it into a large basin of barren deserts and lifeless seas within a mere decade and a half.

To put it in another way, there's little to nothing that this world's superpowers got that could exceed that particular technology, all except for weaponry derived out of G-Elements; more specifically, the G-Bombs that were their ace-in-a-hole against the BETA.

They've now arrived at the base, and he took a deep breath as he parked his NEXT in the TSF hangar, although Black Scourge's smaller size made it a bit awkward and inconvenient for him to disembark. Taking some stuff in his cockpit's storage compartment (a holographic computer, a laser pistol, a Multipurpose Nanoshifting Tool, and a telescopic shock baton, to be exact), he climbed out of his NEXT and was escorted to the commander's office for a debriefing.

A few questions were asked, and he smoothly answered some of them with misdirections and snark, dodging the questions entirely and irking the base commander to no end. The man eventually had enough of his antics was about to have him thrown to the brig, but Leo subtly manipulated his mind and made him arrange a meeting with the military high-ups instead. A liaison will arrive within two days, so he'll have to stay in the base for a while.

He also made sure that no one touches his stuff, so he made the commander give orders not to come near the NEXT and allow him to keep his things, so long as he abides by the rules.

"_Now, that ended well…."_ Was his only thought as the LYNX is currently following a soldier to the room they've provided for him. _"Two days. Two more days before I face the music."_

* * *

**Sorry for not updating soon! 2.4K words for this chapter. **


	4. Negotiations

_**Chapter 4: Negotiations**_

* * *

_He found himself standing upon a mountain of corpses._

_Men, women, children, elderly, humans of all races and appearances lay dead beneath his feet, with all of them seemingly dying in various ways._

_Dismemberment, burning, gunfire wounds, radiation sickness, Kojima particle poisoning, and many more ways to die happened to these people. Whether they died swiftly and painlessly, or suffered a slow and agonizing demise, their faces showed it._

_Most of them are people he didn't know, but amongst the large masses of the dead are some people he recognized, clear as day._

_Kasumi Sumika, his mentor that was always by his side, until he left and followed through Old King's plans. _

_Lilium Wolcott, the stoic girl that he had the pleasure of working with back when he still worked for the League. _

_CUBE, the other survivor of the Human-PLUS subject and was changed by it, both physically and mentally. It still unnerved him how that man is very narcissistic and takes a scientific tone at everything._

_Maximilian Thermidor, the scheming coward that never deserved his Rank 1 status. The world would be better off without him._

"_**You did this, all of this."**__ A voice declared, seemingly coming from everywhere and nowhere at the same time. __**"And you must pay."**_

_It was at that point that he realized, these are all the people he killed._

"_**You're the reason we're dead, and now we demand recompense!"**_

_Blood began to pool from the ground, slowly at first, but the pool became a lake, and the lake became a sea within seconds. The impossibly large volume of the red liquid stretched beyond the horizon, and it doesn't seem like it'd be stopping in rising up anytime soon._

_For the first time, he felt fear. Raw, unadulterated fear that he haven't felt for a long time._

_There's nowhere for him to run, and thus he braced himself as the flood of blood reached his ankles, then his waist, and until he was fully submerged by it. The blood is still rising fast, and he must swim up._

_However, a hand grabbed him. And then another._

_And another._

_And another._

"_**Repent!"**_

"_**Murderer!"**_

"_**Answer for your crimes!"**_

"_**Atone, you damn criminal!"**_

_A cacophony of screams and demands for vengeance rang within his mind, but he paid them no heed as he desperately thrashed and kicked against the offending limbs. _

_He could only see dark crimson around him, the light from above fading, his strength waning, the gaunt faces of the dead surrounding him as their arms enveloped him when his struggles begin to weaken._

_He gave a soundless scream as his vision was obscured by pale, lifeless hands._

* * *

"GAH!" Leo's eyes snapped wide open as he shot straight up from his bed, cold sweat forming on his brow. After collecting himself a few seconds later, he pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. "Not this shit again…" he muttered to himself. He had nightmares before, but this is the most vivid one he'd ever experienced.

He checked the clock, and it says 3 AM. He always woke up in 4, but with what happened to him, he didn't feel like going back to sleep.

He shook his head and got out of the bed, sluggishly walking towards the bathroom. Today is the day the Soviet military sends a liaison to negotiate with him. He'd best get ready as early as possible.

* * *

_**A Few Hours Later…**_

* * *

"Are you the one we're to have a meeting with?"

Leo's head tilted up from typing in his holographic computer and observed the speaker. The man before him had a pale complexion, with blond hair combed neatly in a formal manner. What got the pilot's attention however is silver-haired woman escorting the man, with deep amethyst eyes and a small frown adorning her face. _"Silver hair… An Esper, most likely."_ he presumed. _"But of which generation is she, I wonder?"_

Espers. The product of the third Alternative Plan, led by the Soviet Union way back at 1973 in an attempt to communicate with the BETA. Unfortunately it wasn't all too successful and brought little progress, but the Espers have proven themselves rather effective in other military fields, making them valuable assets despite the fact that they failed in their purpose. Interrogation, TSF piloting, Research and Development, the Soviet Union has utilized Espers to a great degree, an advantage nearly all other countries doesn't have.

"Yes, that would be me. I presume you're the liaison?" he inquired, in which said liaison nodded and offered his hand that the LYNX shook in return. The blonde man then introduced himself, "I'm Major Jerzy Sandek, and this is Second Lieutenant Cryska Barchenowa. And you are…"

"Leopold Hector Burzleich, but call me Leo to make it easier." he answered as they all sat down opposite to each other. "Now, what have you heard so far about me?" he asked.

"Nothing, they only said that you can provide us your services that could greatly help the war effort. Thus, I'm sent here not just to arrange a negotiation with you, but also to determine if your claims are valid and really are capable of aiding us in humanity's war against the BETA."

"_Of course, the base commander haven't said much as I planned."_ Leo thought to himself. _"The horrifying wonders of subtle mind manipulation, really. You input commands to their subconscious and they'll unknowingly follow it, as if the decision and idea was of their own making. Not so different from how propaganda manipulates the masses to forward a political agenda, but a bit more… inhumane."_

Yes, what he did was inhumane, but he said that he'll only use mind manipulation if he had no choice but to do so; the base commander gave him a validity in doing so since the guy got in his way.

Jerzy continued, "And so far, you don't give that much of an impression, the strangely advanced computer aside. Nevertheless, I'm still willing to see what you've got." Leo internally gave a sigh of relief for that. _"And here I thought I'm going to make another mental manipulation schtick."_ Breathing deeply, he adjusted his seat a little bit before he began.

"Alright, then. First things first, what were the things you're expecting from me? They said I can provide you valuable services, so what were your thoughts about it?"

The officer thought about it for a second before answering, "Well, I was initially thinking more among the lines of mercenary work. But since a single person can only do so much against a nearly-endless swarm of BETA, you're most likely in possession of technology useful in combatting them, am I correct?"

"That's right, but I'm pretty sure you're wondering why I came to you, and not the other countries, yes?" he stated, actually reading the man's surface thoughts and quickly thinking of ways to turn the discussion to his favour. Whether Jerzy was caught slightly off-guard, he didn't show it as he replied, "Yes. You could've come to EU or Japan, so why us?" he paused before continuing, "And how were you able to persuade the base commander like that, anyway? Standard procedure is to apprehend any unauthorized personnel entering a military facility, and that applies to _every _national military forces out there."

"How I got here is for me to keep, but know this; everything I have done and will do are in the best interest of mankind's survival." Leo explained to him before he added in a lower tone, "Just like my dead associates once intended, at least until they were killed by a certain fanatical Pro-BETA organization a couple years ago."

"_Pro-BETA organization? Is he referring to – of course he does, Allegiance is the only known group full of BETA worshippers."_ Sandek's mind raced in the things Leo had mentioned. _"He said associates… does this mean he's part of an underground group whose goals are an anathema to what Allegiance stood for, and thus were attacked and wiped out?" _

"Say, you had associates before. Is there anyone still left aside from you?" he queried. Leo shook his head in negation as he lied, "No, I don't think there's anyone left. We only had one base and a couple safehouses, and they're all raided at the same time. I also checked any of our backup comms channel for the entire week, but I got nothing. I've confirmed that I'm the only survivor at that point. And our group's also made a lot of researches on new technologies, but since we're effectively defunct and I'm the last member remaining, I have to continue where we started and put them to good use."

"And also, the reason I came to you is because you're the only ones I see fit to entrust my tech with. I find the other players to this war... lacking, in my criteria." he also added.

Leo's alibi for his tech would be that he's part of a group of intellectuals that found the government's efforts in the war unsatisfactory, and decided to manipulate everything from the shadows to win against the alien menace by any means necessary. This organization is new but has a sizable influence, and they researched new technologies and were about to plan on infiltrating various governments and militaries. However, Allegiance found out about them and staged an attack to their assets and members, with him as the only survivor in the aftermath.

The details for his background and identity still hasn't changed, though. Leo is still a refugee born in Germany that fled from his country as a child when Berlin fell way back at 1983.

Leo explained further about himself and the nonexistent group he's the last remaining member of, and once he was finished talking, a minute of silence has passed before Jerzy finally said something, "Alright, let's see those new technologies you're referring to. If they're worth our time, we can make further arrangements. But if not…" he let the threat hang in the air, although Leo was not all too unperturbed by it.

"Alright then, I've got something on the hangar." he beckoned them to follow him, in which they obliged. As they walked to the hangars however, Jerzy asked Cryska in a hushed whisper, "Is he lying?"

Her face was grim, as if something was wrong. "He's not normal." She concluded. "I can't get a read on him at all, as if something around him is blocking me out. I suggest we should-"

"No, not yet. We'll need him if he proved to be useful. We'll only get rid of him if he proved to be a nuisance or if he does something suspicious. For now, let's give him a chance." he assured her.

No one uttered anything for the rest of the walk until they arrived at the TSF hangar.

* * *

**Sorry, that took too long since my sister put heavy restrictions on the computer. That's 1.8K words, quite short if you ask me.**


	5. Demonstrations

**I've been reading SCP Foundation: Iris Through the Looking Glass, so I wasn't able to finish this within a week as I hoped. Fortunately, classes are suspended for a month because of COVID-19, so I have all the time in the world to write to my heart's content. Enjoy!**

_**Warning: A crapton of technobabble ahead! You might need some research to comprehend the crap I'm spouting from my ass!**_

* * *

_**Chapter 5: Demonstrations**_

* * *

"I apologize for the sight, my NEXT is in a sorry state when I escaped from the Allegiance attack. I don't have the resources or equipment to repair the damages, and I was constantly on the run from agents for some time. It's still 100% functional, anyway. The battle damages are superficial at most, and none of the internal parts are hit." Leo explained as they arrived at the hangar where Black Scourge is parked in.

Jerzy however, had digressed on the pilot's earlier statement. _"Superficial, my ass… It looked like it's going to be torn apart any minute now!"_ he then remembered Leo saying something about… "What's a NEXT, anyway?"

Leo snapped his fingers, "Good question. Now, it's quite a long story to tell and explain, so I'll try to make this as brief as I could." He fished out his holographic computer, a small disc-shaped device that can project the screen and keyboard and use sophisticated hand motion tracking technology for the mouse and keyboard inputs.

The computer had projected a blueprint of a bipedal chicken walker mech, 10 meters tall and armed with a quartet of guns in its sides and a rocket artillery pod in its roof. "It all started when one of our members – we used to call him Jonathan since he never said his real name – began what was called the Muscle Tracer project, some decades before he even joined the organization. Its aim was to weaponize exosuits for open warfare, but combine the slow progress, the Lunar War, and the US outdoing him with the advent of TSFs, the project eventually faded into obscurity."

"A decade has passed since mankind were driven out of the moon by the alien menace, and he decided on making a new design altogether, one that had a modular design and is rather easy and cheap to manufacture, whilst having the nearly similar combat efficiency as TSFs." Four pictures took over the hologram. One is a bipedal mech with what seemed to be a sniper rifle and a scoped cannon in its back, another is a similar mech but with a catamaran hull replacing its legs, the third one had a lithe frame and is equipped with an arm-mounted weapon of some kind, and the last one seems to be a quadruped mech with a large shield and rotary cannon replacing its arms.

"Introducing, the Cored MT, also known as Armored Cores."

The Soviet Esper then inquired, "Well that's impressive and all, but where does NEXTs lie in the situation? Are they a derivative of these Armored Cores you've been referring to?"

Leo nodded, "That's spot-on correct, Ms. Barchenowa. Before we go onto NEXTs, let's divulge first on the AC's development history. Comparing Armored Cores with Tactical Surface Fighters, the difference is that the former had a smaller frame compared to TSFs, yet retaining the same combat capabilities of the latter. The only downside ACs have are their flight capabilities. They're propelled by ion thrusters, which means fuel is struck out as a logistical demand. However, the generators could only sustain up to a minute of flight at most until the energy reserves need some time to recharge."

He then continued, "Moving on, ACs are separated into four generations. First Generation is nothing special, but the Second Generation introduced a new function called Overboost, which is basically just a very powerful boost function that eats through the energy reserves like crazy. Third Generation, however, is the zenith of AC development, since an AC-to-AC battle between third-gens could tear apart a couple city blocks before one of them goes down. And that's where NEXTs comes in."

"Wait, what about the fourth?"

"Nah, the Fourth Generation are mass-production models. They're stronger than the First Generation, but weaker than the Second. Let's leave it at that." he gave a wave of dismissal before getting to the topic at hand.

"Now, NEXTs are leaps and bounds ahead of even Third Generation Armored Cores, and what makes them special is this…" a short video came up, showing an enclosed chamber with green flecks of energy flittering about. A metallic pole vertically positioned in the middle of the area is visibly corroding. "Kojima Particles. They produce five times more energy than a standard nuclear reactor, corrosive as hell, and it works by screwing over the Pauli Exclusion Principle. Hard."

He then snapped his fingers, "Oh, and it lingers in a far longer period of time compared to nuclear radiation." The look on the faces of the two are clear enough to tell him that they're both amazed and disturbed towards K-Particles, which they should be. With what happened to his world, one could say that the adage "power comes at a price" was very much true in this case.

"Kojima Particles, despite their dangers, is quite useful in combat, both offensively and defensively. For example, one can utilize its high energy and corrosive properties as a weapon." He pointed at Black Scourge's K-Particle rifle. "See that gun? That fires a concentrated beam of K-Particles. Think of its firepower like what happened to the forest outside the base, but more contained and three times the destruction. That's how deadly it could get."

"_The official reports said that everything at nearly four hectares of the forest cover at where he showed up were ravaged like a warzone, despite the fact that he was only there for about half an hour. If the damage gets three times worse, it'll be like someone dropped a tactical nuke on it!"_ the Soviet officer's mind raced at Leo's statement, which was heard by the latter thanks to his telepathy.

"_Yeeaahh… I really should've added that 'automated KP output control' subroutine to the IRS."_ the LYNX dryly thought. _"I better do that later."_

Leo went on to the next part of the K-Particle's potential in the battlefield. "Next up is defense. You see, NEXTs has this thing called 'Primal Armor'. The specifics will take too long to explain, but it is basically a spherical K-Particle shield that is capable of reducing kinetic energy impact of projectiles. It's not too effective on energy-based weaponry, but the corrosive properties of K-Particles means any BETA attempting to come close to the NEXT would be killed by the Primal Armor."

"A corrosive energy weapon and shield… If it weren't for the fact that prolonged usage of such technology could endanger the environment, we could've utilized them for our TSFs and easily retake Mother Russia from the BETA." Sandek mused.

Leo nodded, "And that's not all. Another special function a NEXT have is Quickboost, which is basically a TSF boost dodge maneuver on steroids. What with the NEXT having very large energy reserves compared to an AC, and having a slightly smaller stature compared to TSFs, you can abuse the hell out of Quickboost and dodge BETA lasers better!" a digital simulation appeared in place of the images, one that shows a NEXT weaving through a barrage of laser beams via consecutive Quickboosts, the machine jinking wildly at supersonic speeds.

"And finally, the cherry on top that made NEXTs even more powerful: A direct man-to-machine control interface known as the Allegorical Manipulation System. The first-gens are similar to TSFs in controls, and the succeeding generations are controlled through a combination of full-body tracking, voice activation and indirect thought control, but a NEXT can be controlled directly from your mind. Sure, it may have some drawbacks, like requiring implants and a specific gene in order to effectively utilize it, but being able to control the machine as if it was you own body? Apply that technology to a TSF, and you can beat a second generation TSF with an F-4 Phantom."

"Alright, first question. What are the specific requirements to be able to use AMS? And second, is it safe?" Sandek asked Leo, who replied with, "For question one, there are three requirements: a clean bill of health, cybernetic implants and modifications, and a specific genetic marker that's not commonly found among humans. Implants in the brain and eyes are a must in order to interface with the AMS unit, and nanomechs are injected to your system. The nanites do a lot of wonders to your body, from dampening the neck-breaking Gs to healing wounds in your body."

His face slightly darkened, unnoticed by the two. _"In my case however, that's not the only enhancements I've got. You wouldn't want to know how much of my body is replaced with cybernetics."_

The things a person goes through before they become a LYNX takes a lot of time, effort, money, and resources. The training and procedures are gruelling, but nothing compares to the inhumane things the researchers of Aspina have done to the 20 test subjects that were thrown into the Human-PLUS project, especially with the fact that only 4 out of 20 had willingly signed in.

And Leo is _not_ one of them.

Schooling his face back into the neutral look he had, he continued. "Anyway… as for the third requirement I've mentioned, the specific gene requirement… I believe Espers definitely have them." Cryska perked up in that comment. "How come?" she asked him.

"Well, there's also this little group that called themselves Aspina, and they've made their own research about psychic abilities not unlike from your nation's Alternative III. Experimental genetic engineering, eugenics, and many other stuffs about human biology that could create and enhance Espers, they managed to figure it out on their own and found practical ways they could be implemented."

He raised a hand to silence them as they were about to say something, "And yes, I have displayed psychic abilities. I can sense a lifeform's presence and block out telepaths from my mind, but nothing else noteworthy that could put me in a Soviet Esper's calibre." he lied for the umpteenth time for this day, although they didn't know that. Needless to say, they were shocked; and it was one hell of an understatement, in Leo's opinion.

Questions were rapidly fired not long after, and he happily obliged to answer. He showed them his "sensing" ability (it's just the psionic radar thingy he did in the earlier loop, really) to prove it, and have Cryska vouch for him in validating his ability to keep telepaths (nothing but passive telepathic shielding, even low-ranking LYNX could do that) from getting a read on him. Once everything checked out, he offered to demonstrate his NEXT's combat capabilities, which they accepted.

"_So far, so good."_ he evaluated as he began to suit up. _"A little bit more of a push, and they'll have no choice but to confirm my credibility to their superiors."_

* * *

_**One Hour Later…**_

* * *

"Alright…Kojima generators are inactive, no KP leak detected, and all systems are within acceptable parameters. Activating AMS…. now." a shiver went down his spine as the AMS linked man to the machine, a sensation he grew familiar with. Whether it be the "classical" hard-wired version, or the experimental wireless link he's currently using for interfacing, having a second body to control however had remained a very strange experience that he'll never get used to, despite being absolutely proficient and attuned with it.

The NEXT whirred to life, taking one of its foot forward, then another, until it went to a full-on march towards an open area just outside the base. A number of derelict vehicles and old TSFs dot the area, as the base commander "agreed" to arrange for their old tanks and defective TSFs to be used for a weapons demonstration he's having. Leo is definitely sure no one will have suspicions, since the base commander had already sent out an earlier request of vehicle acquisition to the upper echelons a week before he even showed up.

As he had unequipped the K-Particle rifle for the event, he's only left with his laser sword, one of his compact machine guns, and what remained of his Scatter Missiles.

"_6 spare mags for the CMG and 15 Scatter Missiles left. Gotta use the missiles sparingly until I find a way to replenish my munitions reserves."_ he deduced before analysing the mock battlefield. _"3 tanks, 5 BTRs, a couple IMVs, and 4 TSFs on Slave Mode. If I fire in short burst only, it'll only take less than 50 rounds to take them all out, even less if I use the laser blade."_

He wouldn't need to worry about the casualties, since no one is operating the vehicles, save for the TSFs under Slave mode and remotely controlled by a couple TSFs operating outside of the area. The slaved TSFs are armed with live ammunition, as per his request; not like 3.6 cm rounds could damage his NEXT.

A PA outside blared, _**"Beginning Demonstration in 5…"**_

He made a last second check to the essential systems, briefly skimming through the diagnostics and confirming that nothing is amiss.

"_**4…"**_

He activated the weapons. The laser sword's edge held a dull blue glow, the ejected energy giving the sword a cutting edge capable of slicing through even the likes of diamond.

"_**3…"**_

The CMG's internal mechanisms churned, the 88 millimeter DU-tipped armor-piercing rounds fully loaded and ready to unleash hell in a pull of the trigger.

"_**2…"**_

The NEXT's boosters begin to fire up, ready to thrust up to 100% with but a thought from the machine's pilot.

"_**1…"**_

The audiences, composed of the base personnel and the liaisons, have tensed in anticipation, all eager to see what the foreigner could do.

"_**Begin."**_

Leo took a deep breath, and Black Scourge _blurred_ to motion.

He set his sights to the first group of targets. _"1 IMV, 2 BTRs."_ he identified. 4 short bursts from his CMG did the trick, the vehicles blown to pieces by artillery-scale fire. He didn't stop, constantly Quickboosting around as the slaved TSFs opened fire at him from a distance.

He switched targets, _"3 tanks, 3 BTRs. Distance, 500 meters. A missile would do."_ a missile popped out of the NEXT's left shoulder and streaked towards the second group. Once the distance between the supersonic ordnance and the targets closed into a good 100 meters, the missile split and revealed 8 smaller missiles, all zeroing down towards the vehicles and reducing them into fiery scrap.

All that's left are the four 18-meter machines firing peashooters at him. Two are providing cover fire while lined up close to each other, while the other two are beelining towards him, combat knives in one hand and Assault Cannons on the other.

"_Controlling two at once must've been a challenge for the pilots."_ Leo internally commented as he noticed that the accuracy of their guns are rather… questionable. _"Or maybe those guns are actually inaccurate and reliant on the good old 'Spray and Pray' firing doctrine? Hell if I know."_

He had his NEXT slow down, going from his usual 600 mph engagement speed down into a steady 250, letting the two catch up with him easier. And once they're in a comfortably close enough range for him, he _struck_.

The laser blade bisected one TSF in the torso like hot knife through butter, and the other one was finished off not long after with a Quickboost and a diagonal slash with his sword; all of this happened within a couple of seconds, but Leo swore it was longer.

That left two targets remaining. They haven't changed their positions, so single blade wave attack would suffice. With one quick horizontal slash, a blue crescent of energy streaked through the battlefield and utterly destroyed the two larger machines, reducing them to burning husks.

Seeing that it's all over now, he disengaged and began to have Black Scourge go back to the hangar. And not long after he dismounted from his NEXT, he was received by a pair of slack-jawed Soviet faces.

"You… you'll have that deal that you wanted. Let's go back to the conference room, so we could smoothen out the deal." was all Jerzy could say before he and his companion began to walk. Leo gave a small smirk and followed.

Everything went just as planned.

* * *

**Finally, a 2.6K word chapter! Anyway, most of the technobabble I gave are mostly from the AC subreddit and the unofficial Armored Core wiki. I'll be working on Gate next. See ya!**

**edit: I proofread once more and corrected some typos.**


	6. revision notice

I've been forced by my family to take a break from the computer, and so I've decided to read and analyze my work, and well…

All I could say is that it's half-assed and I could've done it better.

I'll be revising some chapters in my currently running stories, they'll have a forenote that denotes if they are changed.

None of the future revisions would change the storyline significantly, so don't worry.


	7. Can't make up my mind

Scratch that, I'll be rewriting a fuckton in this fic. I think that Leo dying in the second chapter is rather too sudden, so I'll extend his experiences for a couple chapters, maybe more, before he gets G-Bombed into another timeline. I'll also change the location where he'll appear (from a Soviet base in Alaska to a hidden cave system somewhere in Canada).

That'll be all.

P.S. I can't make up my mind on how this fic goes, could I? First attempt is an AU League and a big-ass portal in Sadogashima, but I scrapped that since Leo is too much of a Gary Stu in that version. Current version is where he's all alone, post Destruction Path. And now, I'll make another major revision...

.

.

.

Just... What the fuck, Mike? What the hell are you doing with this story?


	8. a confession

My life is a shitty one.

Sure, my family is in the middle class and can sustain our needs just fine, but when it comes to raising a child, my parents seemed… lacking.

To be honest, I can't be considered a kind person. I am selfish, stubborn, lazy, and I only think for myself. Maybe they have a point, maybe they don't, but it has come to the point that they won't stop questioning my life choices.

Every. Single. One.

"_Why are you eating like that? Have some table manners!"_ even though we're only eating _at home_.

"_Why do you want to become a pharmacist? That's for faggots! Take mechanical engineering instead!"_ because I don't enjoy tinkering with machines, even though I'm good at it.

"_Why aren't you saying proper honorifics on us? Have some respect!" _

For fucks sake, it has become too incessant. All for the sake of "instilling discipline" unto me, my ass.

And the last straw is that they took _my_ phone because I'm apparently abusing the hell out of it. Sure, I take more than 10 hours with it in reading stories, checking for updates, playing games and whatnot, but I at least do help out in chores, eat at proper time, and get myself 8 hours of sleep.

I'm a simple-minded person with the goal of living my life as content as possible, and die without any regrets. I have looked for anything that makes me happy and contend, and it is reading and writing stories.

My ideals clash with my parents', and is the cause of our conflict of interests.

I could've strong-armed them to let me do what I want. The only I reason I didn't is not because of morality, but rather because the resulting consequences would make my life harder.

Thus, I have to put up with their annoying yammers about "respect" and "discipline".

It's funny, though. Mutual understanding comes first before respect. You normally don't pay respects to those that misunderstand you, right?

They don't know me as much as they assumed, but that's because I am not opening up to them. My reason not to open up is because they refuse to listen to reason and often thinks that they know better, just because they're older than I am.

Our ideals are as different as night and day, and both sides are just too stubborn to come up to a resolution.

And so, I am contemplating whether I should let the dam spill and confess, or keep it to myself.

If it's the former, I'll be getting an earful of bullshits I'd rather not hear, and things might just get worse for me.

If it's the latter, things will remain as they are.

Fuck it all. Everyone has a breaking point, and I'm slowly reaching mine. It's only a matter of time before I finally snap and someone gets hurt.

And now, I'm beginning to lose my motivation to read and write because of barely-restrained anger, especially since my games, drafts, and musics that calm me down are on the phone that they took.

I'm writing this because I needed to vent out and ask for some advice. Sorry for ruining your expectations of another chapter.


End file.
